IN ALL FAIRNESS - Loughmore’s family environment

And so, another county championship season is now in the history books, and this year it is Loughmore/Castleiney who have claimed the headlines with another senior hurling & football double, adding the inaugural premier junior football title for good measure.

Superlatives are fast running out for the Mid Tipperary club and what they have been achieving over the last decade or so, their third double in eleven years. They must find all the plaudits for competing at a high level in both codes overblown as playing hurling and football is all they know.

It can’t be forgotten, despite their location between Templemore and Thurles in a hot-bed of hurling, they were a football powerhouse long before they became proficient with the small ball. Sunday’s final win was their sixteenth senior football title, third on the role of honour behind Fethard and Clonmel Commercials who have 21 each. Their first came in 1914 whereas the first of their five senior hurling titles only came in 1988; they had only played in one final before that in 1983. Prior to that they were primarily an intermediate hurling team.

There are many reasons as to why they have been so successful for a club that wouldn’t have the biggest pick of players compared to many other clubs in the county. Many clubs that enjoy successful periods tend to be built, not only on talent, but also a couple of strong families with brothers, fathers, uncles etc…but what is unique in terms of Loughmore/Castleiney is that the majority are borne out of just one family, the McGrath’s.

It starts with four brothers (Mick, Dick, Phil & John) and three sisters (Mary Jo, Nancy & Peggy). Mick McGrath is the father of Tom, Pat, Michael, & Frankie McGrath, from whom Pat’s son are Noel, John & Brian; Aidan & Ciaran are Michael’s sons while Frankie’s son Michael is the senior hurling sub-goalie & junior football captain, and Tom’s son Liam is the senior hurling captain.

Joey Hennessy, football player/manager Shane, & Cian are grandsons of Phil McGrath and are first cousins of Tomas (Mossie) McGrath who is a second cousin. Conor McGrath is a grandson of a third brother Dick McGrath, while his sister Mary Jo McGrath has two grandchildren, Willie Eviston, John Ryan. Willie Eviston is a first cousin to Noel, John & Brian, as their mother is Mary Eviston. John Ryan is a first cousin of Willie Eviston. Senior football captain Liam Treacy’s father is another first cousin of the McGrath’s (through Nancy McGrath) while Ciaran & Ed Connolly would be a third cousin of all the McGrath’s. Johnny Campion is also a cousin

Sometimes different families can cause problems in clubs but in Loughmore/Castleiney it helps that the club is more or less one family, not disregarding the input of the likes of the Egan’s, Meagher’s, O’Connell’s, McCahey’s and others have made to the clubs success over the generations.

Crucially, the McGrath’s have no egos. When you have a family that prominent in a club, they can come across to some as knowitalls and rub other families in the club the wrong way. This can lead to some perceived biases in terms of some family members being selected over others, but you never get that sense with Loughmore/Castleiney, and indeed the McGrath’s would be as happy to have no players involved as long as the club was doing well.It’s a big help also that the majority of the players remain so strongly tied to their club, even if they live and work in various locations around the country. It’s the same for any player in any club doing the same and is what makes the GAA remain unique in that it largely ties you to your home for life and is something that cannot be lost. Home is where the heart is.

After fifteen games in seventeen weekends in the county, Loughmore/Castleiney’s players certainly deserve the downtime this week to enjoy and cherish what they have achieved before they turn their minds to a double assault on the Munster Club Championships. The draws for both hurling and football have fallen in their favour with byes to the semi-finals which gives them a welcome break to recharge, but the flip side of that is they could lose momentum of having four weeks off before they play competitively again in a Munster hurling semi-final on November 17th against Waterford champions Ballygunner or Limerick winners, Doon or Na Piarsaigh who meet next Sunday.

However, the possibility of getting a chance to take on Ballygunner, or potentially Na Piarsaigh, will focus the minds, after losing controversially to both in 2021 and 2013 respectively. Crucially, Loughmore/Castleiney are built for winter hurling and football, they are supremely fit and are assured on the ball, which are key in soft conditions so they might not be finished with winning silverware yet.